Help Us Improve VI-SPDAT & SPDAT

Posted by Iain De Jong10sc on July 23, 2018

We take the VI-SPDAT and SPDAT very seriously. Whether your community uses the VI-SPDAT (triage tool) and/or the SPDAT (assessment tool), we want to have your input as we go about making improvements to the next versions of the tools. Have your say through our survey which you can find here

Your input is vitally important. We will be looking at what you contribute along with what people with lived experience have to say, trainers have to say, the most current research has to say, and what experts in trauma, domestic violence, and anti-oppression have to say.

We are committed to making each version of the tools easier to use and more accurate in their collection of information. We are committed to also ensuring the best interests of people to whom the tools are administered are respected. We want to ensure the most accurate information and only the most relevant information is used to help with things like coordinated entry and prioritization, as well as case management and service delivery.

We have been collecting feedback in other ways over the past few years on all of the VI-SPDAT and SPDAT suite of tools (youth, family, single adult, justice discharge, prevention and diversion). As we move towards the next versions of the tools we are committed to doing a few things better, as well as exploring whether some of the input we have received is relevant for triaging or measuring acuity. For example, we commit to examining the wording of Q17 of the American Version of the VI-SPDAT. We also commit to exploring whether a Young Head of Household Family VI-SPDAT is warranted. We are going to take a look (again) at what a medical facility discharge VI-SPDAT may look like. While we have always had the tools reviewed and critiqued from an anti-oppression framework and have reached out to various cultural groups in developing the tools, we are going to apply a more rigorous lens to matters of culture, race and ethnicity as it impacts the collection of information and use of information collected through the tools. Finally, one of the other things we are already committed to doing is providing clearer instructions for the opening script and guidance on information capture to improve reliability of information received.

It is not lost on us that the VI-SPDAT and SPDAT suite of tools have changed the way homeless service delivery is provided. We hope and trust you will help us make the next evolution of the tools better. We thank you for your help.

About Iain De Jong

Leader. Edutainer. Coach. Consultant. Professor. Researcher. Blogger. Do-gooder. Potty mouth. Positive disruptor. Relentless advocate for social justice. Comedian. Dad. Minimalist. Recovering musician. Canadian citizen. International jetsetter. Living life in jeans and a t-shirt. Trying really hard to end homelessness in developed countries around the world, expand harm reduction practices, make housing happen, and reform the justice system. Driven by change, fuelled by passion. Winner of a shit ton of prestigious awards, none of which matter unless change happens in how we think about vulnerability, marginality, and inclusion.